My Trip at a Glance
Please ignore the weird linking text later in the post. LJ was being retarded and I couldn't figure out how to get it to stop linking my text to images. So sorry!
THURSDAY
Korean History Museum
I got to Busan around 1 pm and had no idea what to do or where to go. I grabbed a tourist map from Busan Station and headed out into the sunshine. The history museum was the first place I went to, mainly because it was close and because I knew where it was. It was pretty good for 500 won (fifty cents), thought it would have been more interesting if I knew Korean better...
My Hostel room
I had no idea where to stay since my vacation was kind of last minute, but Yuri called me and gave me a phone number of a hostel. I called the number and it turns out the guy had one availability! Awesome! I got directions and ended up here at "Forjuneteller Zen Backpacker's Hostel". The guy who owned it, June, was pretty nice, and even met me at Paris Baguette (a famous Korean bread store) and walked me down to the hostel. It seemed pretty seedy at first (go to the back of the building and take this special elevator), but June was pretty nice, as were most of my roommates, and the lodging was pretty cheap: 22,000 a night, plus a 10,000 returnable deposit, which included a room, free shower/bathroom, cable, free internet and computers, wi-fi, a pool table, and a smoke room. I met a lot of cool people and even went sightseeing with some of them. It was a good experience.
FRIDAY
Jellyfish at the Busan Aquarium
Friday I went with a Taiwanese married couple and their small child "Xiao Mei" (Little Mei) sightseeing. We stopped first at the Modern Art Museum, but didn't go in because the ticket prices were a bit expensive. We then headed to Haeundae Beach and the Busan Aquarium. It is supposed to be the biggest aquarium in Korea. For the price we paid to get in, 16,000 won, it wasn't that impressive, but whatever. Anyway, they had a lot of neat exhibits, and you could even take a boat ride with a glass-bottomed boat. We got to see some of the fish being fed by a diver, which was neat.
Haeundae Beach
We checked out the beach a little. This beach is one of the biggest in Korea, and probably the most famous. It was a little too cold to go swimming, so most people just hung out. Koreans aren't really into sun bathing, so most people kept themselves hidden under umbrellas as they lay in the sand. The sand was a weird element, more small rocks grains than dirt sand.
Haedong Yong Kyung Gong Temple
This is the only temple built on the ocean. Apparently, one of the monks had a dream to build the temple on the rocks to guard from spirits coming from the sea, thus this temple was born. It's really cool and has a gorgeous view, but it's a bit too touristy. I feel like it loses some of its uniquness due to the fact that there are gobs of vendors selling things and people running around. It's kind of sad.
Fresh Octopi at Jagalchi Fish Market
After the aquarium and before the temple, we went to Jagalchi Market. I would have posted it earlier, but I forgot and LJ is being a bitch about editing this post, and it really doesn't matter anyway.
So, Jagalchi Market...yeah. It is the largest fish market in Korea, which makes sense since Busan is the second largest city and it's right on the ocean. (Seoul, by the way, is not) It was cool, for the first fifteen minutes, to see all the animals they had there, but it got kinda boring after a little while. Still, it's well-known, so it's worth checking out, even if it's only for a little while.
After all that we went to Gunkje Market, which is a sort of tourist trap. It has a rich history, as the place where many Koreans returning from Japan set up shops when they arrived on shore, but now it's just a typical market. Still a kind of interesting place to go. It makes me feel like I'm in Insadong or Myeongdong shopping market in Seoul when I'm there.
Saturday
Taejongdae Lighthouse
Saturday I went to Taejongdae. Taejongdae is a peninsula and it's got huge park. It was recommended, but I was a little nervous since the only way to get there is by bus. I have to admit that I never felt comfortable on Korean buses, and in Busan the buses are worse because they don't say the stops in English, so you have to listen really hard for the name of the place you want. Anyway, I'm glad I went because it was really cool.
Once I got to Taejongdae it was pretty easy to find the park. I headed for the tram tickets, where I was able to buy a ticket for 1,500 won (1.50). The tram would stop at each point and you could get on, explore, and then wait for the next tram to pick you up. I only went to two attractions since most of them included hiking, and I was exhausted after attraction 2.
The first attraction I stopped at was the Lighthouse. I met some Koreans there, one of which spoke English, and hung out with them for a bit. We hiked down to the lighthouse and then spent some time on the beach. The girl's daughter kept trying to speak to me in Korean. She was six, but didn't seem to understand that I had no idea what she was saying to me. I kept replying "yes" and "really?" to her comments (in Korean), and that seemed to work well enough. It was super cute though. She kept referring to me as "Yongo Sonsengnim", after her mom explained that I was an English teacher.
After that we separated and I went to a shrine and hung out there for a bit. It wasn't much to see, so I left pretty quickly. I ended up walking back instead of taking the tram because I couldn't find a tram stop anywhere near the exit. I kept thinking I would find one while I was walking, but I never did. And then I wound up at the entrance of the park! Well, a little exercise never hurt anyone, I guess.
Sunday
Buddhist Temple near Beomeosa Temple
Sunday I slept in late and then headed for Beomeosa Temple. Beomeosa is so famous that it's got a bus that goes directly there. I took the subway to the Beomeosa stop and then got off and wound up having to ask for directions.
Arrived at Beomeosa and hiked up the long trail to its actual temple. They had tea for us at the top. Korean tea is weird. It is not very strong at all. It basically tastes like hot water with a strange aftertaste. I never really drank tea, but in Korea it's a given that you will drink it. Most Koreans drink coffee, and seem really surprised when I decline their offer for coffee. Little children also buy me coffee sometimes at school, which bugs me since they spent their money on something I don't even like to drink. I don't like coffee normally, and Korean coffee is just awful. At least, that's what my French friend says. I have not actually had the stuff.
Back on topic... Beomeosa was a little more interesting than the last temple I went to, though it was not nearly as pretty. It's nestled in the mountains, which is pretty cool. Everywhere you look you see nothing but mountains. I hung around for a while and did some exploring. I actually wound up in an area that was off-limits to visitors, but I took the fact that I didn't get in trouble by the monks there (who plainly saw me) as a good sign. I didn't enter any of the buildings or say anything, so I guess I was easy to ignore.
There was a hiking path off the beaten track that a lot of Koreans were hiking up, so I joined their numbers. At this point I was glad I bought a water bottle for 1,000. I was dead thirsty halfway up the mountain when I saw a vending machine, but a can of Pepsi was 1,000. Insane. A vendor beckoned me over to him and kept trying to get me to buy "mul" (water). I wound up giving in because I was so thirsty and it was only 1,000 won (1 dollar) for a bottle. Half of it was ice too, so I could save it for later. So I wound up buying it.
Anyway, I went up the hiking path and saw another temple. I visited it. There seemed to be a lot of foreigners there, though they all spoke Spanish. I wanted to talk to them, but my Spanish is pitiful. I'm a lot better at listening than speaking, and even then I'm pretty rusty. So we just smiled at each other and continued on our separate ways. I went into one of the small temples and looked around. A man was there and he invited me to a Buddhist worship service. At the time I had no idea what it was, only he said I should go and it would be interesting. When I don't understand, I usually just agree, especially when they keep insisting. So on I went.
I entered one of the temple rooms. There were a bunch of people on mats, and a song/chant book in front of each mat. The men were on the right side and the women on the left. In the front was a Buddha statue. We did a bunch of bowing, chanting, and even some singing. I don't know Korean, so I had no idea what we were saying, and I can barely read hangul at that (I can read it, but very slowly, so I kept losing my place during the chanting). Despite that, the people were really nice to me and helped me find my place.
After that they all crowded around me and started asking me questions. Once we got past the basic "Where are you from?" "Where do you live?" "What is your job?", I was lost. Luckily for me, and for them, one of the girls had studied in England and could speak English pretty well. She did a lot of translating for us. She invited me to a "clean up" party. It was Buddha's birthday next week and they were cleaning for it. They had these cards hanging from lanterns on the ceiling and they pulled down the cards and cleaned them. The cards were placed in plastic protectors, and we had to remove the protectors and clean them. That took about an hour. After that we had coffee, watermelon, and rice cakes. Rice cakes were all right. The rice feels sorta like a marshmallow. The taste is kind of bland though, but for someone like me that's better than being too spicy or salty. The ladies all really liked me and wanted me to join them. I told them I couldn't because I lived in Incheon. They seemed kinda sad about that and asked if there were any shrines there. I told them probably, though I had never really researched it. I guess they wanted to convert me to Buddhism, though I wasn't really that interested.
Afterward, one of the ladies gave me a ride down to the subway station, where I said my goodbyes. I then headed back to the hostel where I got my bags and said my goodbyes once again. The guy gave me a hug (either he really liked me or thought that Americans would like that sort of thing) and told me to come back again next summer (wish I could, man.) Then I headed for Busan Station, where I would depart for Seoul via KTX train.
I got to the KTX ticket area around 6:25 and wound up getting a ticket for the 6:45. I couldn't get normal seats, so I had to make do with "standing". Standing means you stand in the compartment that's in between the train cars. You're right by the bathrooms and the vending machines, which is cool, but there are only two folding seats, which is not cool. I was fortunate and got one of the seats.
Got to Seoul around 10 and then headed for Incheon. I arrived home in Incheon around 11:50. Went to bed around 1 and slept till 1:40 this afternoon. I was super wiped since I didn't sleep very well in the hostel. I never sleep well on vacations...
Overall, I had a good time in Busan. I met some awesome people, and was hardly without someone to hang out with. The people of Busan are pretty friendly and more confident with their English than Seoul/Incheon people. Most of them spoke a little English, even the elderly people. The subway is also awesome. There are only three lines, so it's super easy to read. I wish our subway was that easy... Still, I like living in Incheon/Seoul more. There are more shops, and the bookstores are better, which is important. But Busan is cleaner, is right on the ocean, has killer beaches, and is less polluted. I spent about 250 total on the trip (most of that was on lodging and transport from Seoul to Busan and back), so it's an ideal place to visit if you're on a budget. Maybe I'll get to visit someday again.
Expect a REAL post about Busan on Soul to Seoul sometime soon.
THURSDAY
Korean History Museum
I got to Busan around 1 pm and had no idea what to do or where to go. I grabbed a tourist map from Busan Station and headed out into the sunshine. The history museum was the first place I went to, mainly because it was close and because I knew where it was. It was pretty good for 500 won (fifty cents), thought it would have been more interesting if I knew Korean better...
My Hostel room
I had no idea where to stay since my vacation was kind of last minute, but Yuri called me and gave me a phone number of a hostel. I called the number and it turns out the guy had one availability! Awesome! I got directions and ended up here at "Forjuneteller Zen Backpacker's Hostel". The guy who owned it, June, was pretty nice, and even met me at Paris Baguette (a famous Korean bread store) and walked me down to the hostel. It seemed pretty seedy at first (go to the back of the building and take this special elevator), but June was pretty nice, as were most of my roommates, and the lodging was pretty cheap: 22,000 a night, plus a 10,000 returnable deposit, which included a room, free shower/bathroom, cable, free internet and computers, wi-fi, a pool table, and a smoke room. I met a lot of cool people and even went sightseeing with some of them. It was a good experience.
FRIDAY
Jellyfish at the Busan Aquarium
Friday I went with a Taiwanese married couple and their small child "Xiao Mei" (Little Mei) sightseeing. We stopped first at the Modern Art Museum, but didn't go in because the ticket prices were a bit expensive. We then headed to Haeundae Beach and the Busan Aquarium. It is supposed to be the biggest aquarium in Korea. For the price we paid to get in, 16,000 won, it wasn't that impressive, but whatever. Anyway, they had a lot of neat exhibits, and you could even take a boat ride with a glass-bottomed boat. We got to see some of the fish being fed by a diver, which was neat.
Haeundae Beach
We checked out the beach a little. This beach is one of the biggest in Korea, and probably the most famous. It was a little too cold to go swimming, so most people just hung out. Koreans aren't really into sun bathing, so most people kept themselves hidden under umbrellas as they lay in the sand. The sand was a weird element, more small rocks grains than dirt sand.
Haedong Yong Kyung Gong Temple
This is the only temple built on the ocean. Apparently, one of the monks had a dream to build the temple on the rocks to guard from spirits coming from the sea, thus this temple was born. It's really cool and has a gorgeous view, but it's a bit too touristy. I feel like it loses some of its uniquness due to the fact that there are gobs of vendors selling things and people running around. It's kind of sad.
Fresh Octopi at Jagalchi Fish Market
After the aquarium and before the temple, we went to Jagalchi Market. I would have posted it earlier, but I forgot and LJ is being a bitch about editing this post, and it really doesn't matter anyway.
So, Jagalchi Market...yeah. It is the largest fish market in Korea, which makes sense since Busan is the second largest city and it's right on the ocean. (Seoul, by the way, is not) It was cool, for the first fifteen minutes, to see all the animals they had there, but it got kinda boring after a little while. Still, it's well-known, so it's worth checking out, even if it's only for a little while.
After all that we went to Gunkje Market, which is a sort of tourist trap. It has a rich history, as the place where many Koreans returning from Japan set up shops when they arrived on shore, but now it's just a typical market. Still a kind of interesting place to go. It makes me feel like I'm in Insadong or Myeongdong shopping market in Seoul when I'm there.
Saturday
Taejongdae Lighthouse
Saturday I went to Taejongdae. Taejongdae is a peninsula and it's got huge park. It was recommended, but I was a little nervous since the only way to get there is by bus. I have to admit that I never felt comfortable on Korean buses, and in Busan the buses are worse because they don't say the stops in English, so you have to listen really hard for the name of the place you want. Anyway, I'm glad I went because it was really cool.
Once I got to Taejongdae it was pretty easy to find the park. I headed for the tram tickets, where I was able to buy a ticket for 1,500 won (1.50). The tram would stop at each point and you could get on, explore, and then wait for the next tram to pick you up. I only went to two attractions since most of them included hiking, and I was exhausted after attraction 2.
The first attraction I stopped at was the Lighthouse. I met some Koreans there, one of which spoke English, and hung out with them for a bit. We hiked down to the lighthouse and then spent some time on the beach. The girl's daughter kept trying to speak to me in Korean. She was six, but didn't seem to understand that I had no idea what she was saying to me. I kept replying "yes" and "really?" to her comments (in Korean), and that seemed to work well enough. It was super cute though. She kept referring to me as "Yongo Sonsengnim", after her mom explained that I was an English teacher.
After that we separated and I went to a shrine and hung out there for a bit. It wasn't much to see, so I left pretty quickly. I ended up walking back instead of taking the tram because I couldn't find a tram stop anywhere near the exit. I kept thinking I would find one while I was walking, but I never did. And then I wound up at the entrance of the park! Well, a little exercise never hurt anyone, I guess.
Sunday
Buddhist Temple near Beomeosa Temple
Sunday I slept in late and then headed for Beomeosa Temple. Beomeosa is so famous that it's got a bus that goes directly there. I took the subway to the Beomeosa stop and then got off and wound up having to ask for directions.
Arrived at Beomeosa and hiked up the long trail to its actual temple. They had tea for us at the top. Korean tea is weird. It is not very strong at all. It basically tastes like hot water with a strange aftertaste. I never really drank tea, but in Korea it's a given that you will drink it. Most Koreans drink coffee, and seem really surprised when I decline their offer for coffee. Little children also buy me coffee sometimes at school, which bugs me since they spent their money on something I don't even like to drink. I don't like coffee normally, and Korean coffee is just awful. At least, that's what my French friend says. I have not actually had the stuff.
Back on topic... Beomeosa was a little more interesting than the last temple I went to, though it was not nearly as pretty. It's nestled in the mountains, which is pretty cool. Everywhere you look you see nothing but mountains. I hung around for a while and did some exploring. I actually wound up in an area that was off-limits to visitors, but I took the fact that I didn't get in trouble by the monks there (who plainly saw me) as a good sign. I didn't enter any of the buildings or say anything, so I guess I was easy to ignore.
There was a hiking path off the beaten track that a lot of Koreans were hiking up, so I joined their numbers. At this point I was glad I bought a water bottle for 1,000. I was dead thirsty halfway up the mountain when I saw a vending machine, but a can of Pepsi was 1,000. Insane. A vendor beckoned me over to him and kept trying to get me to buy "mul" (water). I wound up giving in because I was so thirsty and it was only 1,000 won (1 dollar) for a bottle. Half of it was ice too, so I could save it for later. So I wound up buying it.
Anyway, I went up the hiking path and saw another temple. I visited it. There seemed to be a lot of foreigners there, though they all spoke Spanish. I wanted to talk to them, but my Spanish is pitiful. I'm a lot better at listening than speaking, and even then I'm pretty rusty. So we just smiled at each other and continued on our separate ways. I went into one of the small temples and looked around. A man was there and he invited me to a Buddhist worship service. At the time I had no idea what it was, only he said I should go and it would be interesting. When I don't understand, I usually just agree, especially when they keep insisting. So on I went.
I entered one of the temple rooms. There were a bunch of people on mats, and a song/chant book in front of each mat. The men were on the right side and the women on the left. In the front was a Buddha statue. We did a bunch of bowing, chanting, and even some singing. I don't know Korean, so I had no idea what we were saying, and I can barely read hangul at that (I can read it, but very slowly, so I kept losing my place during the chanting). Despite that, the people were really nice to me and helped me find my place.
After that they all crowded around me and started asking me questions. Once we got past the basic "Where are you from?" "Where do you live?" "What is your job?", I was lost. Luckily for me, and for them, one of the girls had studied in England and could speak English pretty well. She did a lot of translating for us. She invited me to a "clean up" party. It was Buddha's birthday next week and they were cleaning for it. They had these cards hanging from lanterns on the ceiling and they pulled down the cards and cleaned them. The cards were placed in plastic protectors, and we had to remove the protectors and clean them. That took about an hour. After that we had coffee, watermelon, and rice cakes. Rice cakes were all right. The rice feels sorta like a marshmallow. The taste is kind of bland though, but for someone like me that's better than being too spicy or salty. The ladies all really liked me and wanted me to join them. I told them I couldn't because I lived in Incheon. They seemed kinda sad about that and asked if there were any shrines there. I told them probably, though I had never really researched it. I guess they wanted to convert me to Buddhism, though I wasn't really that interested.
Afterward, one of the ladies gave me a ride down to the subway station, where I said my goodbyes. I then headed back to the hostel where I got my bags and said my goodbyes once again. The guy gave me a hug (either he really liked me or thought that Americans would like that sort of thing) and told me to come back again next summer (wish I could, man.) Then I headed for Busan Station, where I would depart for Seoul via KTX train.
I got to the KTX ticket area around 6:25 and wound up getting a ticket for the 6:45. I couldn't get normal seats, so I had to make do with "standing". Standing means you stand in the compartment that's in between the train cars. You're right by the bathrooms and the vending machines, which is cool, but there are only two folding seats, which is not cool. I was fortunate and got one of the seats.
Got to Seoul around 10 and then headed for Incheon. I arrived home in Incheon around 11:50. Went to bed around 1 and slept till 1:40 this afternoon. I was super wiped since I didn't sleep very well in the hostel. I never sleep well on vacations...
Overall, I had a good time in Busan. I met some awesome people, and was hardly without someone to hang out with. The people of Busan are pretty friendly and more confident with their English than Seoul/Incheon people. Most of them spoke a little English, even the elderly people. The subway is also awesome. There are only three lines, so it's super easy to read. I wish our subway was that easy... Still, I like living in Incheon/Seoul more. There are more shops, and the bookstores are better, which is important. But Busan is cleaner, is right on the ocean, has killer beaches, and is less polluted. I spent about 250 total on the trip (most of that was on lodging and transport from Seoul to Busan and back), so it's an ideal place to visit if you're on a budget. Maybe I'll get to visit someday again.
Expect a REAL post about Busan on Soul to Seoul sometime soon.